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James Ladd is still on the lam this morning, and prison officials say he could be hundreds of miles away—or in their back yard. There’s no indication that Ladd might return to Yadkin County, where he killed two men in 1981and was sentenced to three life terms.
Ladd, 51, was serving the three consecutive life sentences in connection with robbery and shooting deaths of the two men on a Yadkin County farm when he escaped Sunday while working outside Tillery Correctional Center in Halifax County, a farm bordered on one side by the Roanoke River. But Interstate 95 runs through the middle of Halifax County, and with some luck, Ladd could be several states away—at least. Prison officials say that others who have tried escape from the farm have drowned in the Roanoke. Ladd had been operating a tractor on the prison farm Sunday morning, and that tractor was found abandoned on the farm just before noon. NC DOC spokesman Keith Acree said Ladd became eligible for parole last year, after serving 30 years in prison, but he was denied parole in January 2011 and is scheduled for his next parole review in 2014. His prison behavior included only minor infractions, most recently for unauthorized tobacco use, and had won Ladd assignment to the farm which allowed him to work outside of the prison's walls. Acree said Ladd is now considered dangerous and should not be approached. Acree described Ladd as a white male with graying hair and a beard, which he may have shaved since his escape. He’s 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds, has blue eyes, and was last seen wearing green pants and a white t-shirt, but may also have a pair of black pants. Anyone who spots the inmate is instead asked to contact local authorities.